Iím going to walk across America!

I've decided to walk from Central Park in New York to Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco (metaphorically speaking).

In my earlier column It looks unappealing and it smells appalling, butÖ I mentioned that I had just started reading A. J. Jacobsí latest work Ė Drop Dead Healthy Ė One Man's Humble Quest for Bodily Perfection (Click Here to see that column).

Well, I finished this book yesterday, and let me start by saying it was a jolly good read. It is particularly interesting to me because I really do need to change my own lifestyle Ė spending eight hours a day working on a computer without taking any form of break or exercise is not doing me any good at all. This isnít just about losing weight and getting ď6-pack absĒ (although that would be nice), itís also about increasing oneís lifespan, freedom from disease and pain, and achieving a sense of emotional, mental, and physical well-being.

As it says on Amazon, as part of Jacobsí quest:

He consulted an army of expertsó sleep consultants and sex clinicians, nutritionists and dermatologists. He subjected himself to dozens of different workoutsófrom Strollercize classes to Finger Fitness sessions, from bouldering with cavemen to a treadmill desk. And he took in a cartload of diets: raw foods, veganism, high protein, calorie restriction, extreme chewing, and dozens more. He bought gadgets and helmets, earphones and juicers. He poked and he pinched. He counted and he measured.

Now, Jacobs is the first to admit that he is not going to spend the rest of his life dieting and exercising to the same levels he did while researching his book, but he does say that he is going to keep on practicing quite a few of the things he discovered on the way.

As part of his journey, Jacobs provides a lot of useful tips and tricks, like keeping a food log (more below). None of this is revolutionary. Weíve all seen most of it before. The thing is that, as part of reading this book, I took notes on things that (a) made sense to me and (b) I think that I can do (and keep on doing).

The first thing Iím going to start doing is eating better. My usual workday involves a lot of black coffee and not much food. Once Iím in my office, I can happily work through the day without easing anything or even thinking about food. Later, when I return home, I have a big supper. None of this is good for me. I know that itís much better to have a number of small meals and healthy snacks throughout the day.

Also, as I mentioned, one of Jacobs' tips is to keep a food log. He says that you tend to eat healthier and in smaller quantities if you write it all down. So as of this morning I popped into the supermarket on the way into work to purchase some supplies and I started my log as follows:

Iím afraid thatís it with regard to the food log so far Ė Iím eating the sandwich as I type these words (decades of ďhunt-and-peckĒ typing have given me the ability to type with either hand while doing something like drinking coffee or eating a sandwich with the other). However, I do have plans for an apple as a mid-afternoon snack, which will be dutifully recorded in my log.

Another obvious point is portion control. Starting this evening, Iím going to employ Jacobs' trick of eating off a smaller plate Ė he used his kidís "dinosaur plate"; Iím going to use a side plate.

Of course eating less is not enough on its own; itís also important to exercise. I used to walk everyday a few years ago, but I fell out of the habit (you miss one day, then another, then you find a weekís gone by, then a monthÖ). Well, thatís all over Ė Iím going to start walking again. The thing is that I like to have a goal to aim at, so Iíve decided to walk from Central Park in New York to Fishermanís Wharf in San Francisco.

Actually, much as I would like to, Iím not actually going to walk the path as shown on the map, because I have a wife and son who would miss me and I have a job that wonít do itself. Instead, Iím going to keep track of how far I walk and then plot my virtual progress on the map. I started off by asking Google for directions from Central Park to San Francisco Ė the result was the map shown above Ė three pages of directions, and a summary that said the total distance was 2,911 miles.

When I glanced at the directions for exiting Central Park they seemed a little strange, so I zoomed in on the map to see what was happening. As shown below, these directions had me starting off by heading North-North-East, then doing a U-turn, then coming back through Central Park, followed by a little ďjigĒ, then under the Lincoln Tunnel, followed by a 360-degree loopÖ

The problem, of course, was that I had asked for driving directions. When I clicked the button for walking directions, things changed slightly as shown below. Now the journey has grown to 2,966 miles (with 49 pages of directions) and early on I have to take a short excursion into Canada (I hope they will be kind to me :-)

Iím not in any rush here, you understand. As part of its directions, Google informs me that my trek is anticipated to take 39 days and 4 hours, but that assumes Iím doing nothing but walking all day, every day. In reality, Iím only going to walk a little here and a little there when I can, so it could take me two or three years to complete my journey. I donít care Ö I have my goal Ö as the Chinese philosopher Lao-tzu (604 BC - 531 BC) famously said: ďA journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.Ē

Last but not least, you will be happy to know that Iím not going to bore you with this on a day-by-day basis. Iím just going to quietly go off and do my own thing. Having said this, once I start seeing some significant progress, itís hard to imagine that I wonít be shouting it from the rooftops (grin).

In the meantime, do you have any tips and tricks on how to lose weight (and keep it off) and generally increase one's health and well-being?

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There should be a huge (umm, pun partly intended) market for this, but I'm afraid after a short time the used market would be full of robots decommissioned by owners whose desire overcame their deligence.

re: "Unfortunately, the reward I want at the moment is an ice-cold beer..."
After I finish my robot, maybe I'll make a system that can give you just that reward. Of course, it will calculate the amount of physical work you need to perform in order to compensate for the calories consumed. It would then requires some type of action, like stair steps, treadmill, iron pumping... not opening the refrigerator until you've first burned off the calories.
Version two of the device could offer you warm beer when you've burned off the calories and reward you with cooler beer for additional exercise.

Engineers and scientists are ideally suited to diet. We respond to logic, evidence, data, and results. That said, the necessary ingredients are a means to count calories ingested and (secondarily) a means to estimate calories expended. I'd suggest a calorie counting smart phone app in which EVERYTHING eaten is logged. The magnitude of the problem quickly becomes apparent and then those foods with the highest caloric contribution and least psychic benefit can be dropped. Exercise earns caloric credits (or faster weight loss). Determining a daily upper limit of food calories that is 500 calories or more below the body's burn rate will result in a pound loss per week (3,500 calories). It is simple math. Fasting for the rest of the day if the limit is reached will quickly correct any wayward snacking. Recognize that the caloric requirements of the body are reduced as the body weight is reduced so the caloric limits need to be adjusted downwards through time. An app such as Keyoe's Diet Assistant (which I bought for my Palm Pilot in 2004 enabled me to lose 40 pounds in 6 months) can do these calculations. I still down more than 30 pounds. Such software will display net calories after food and exercise are entered and estimate time to reach a particular goal. If data entry sounds burdensome, it is actually a quite beneficial side effect - skipping the exotic doughnut is less trouble than looking up the caloric count. Good luck!

Hi Andrew -- thanks for the advice -- I'm not sure what P90X is but I will look it up. Re GOMBS ... I think I'm more of an OMBS man, unless we make the G stand for Garlic ... and I'm assuming that there's a "Silent I" for "Ice Cream" and an even more "Silent B" for "Beer" (grin)

Well, You cannot beat doing 2 or 3 rounds of P90X. I am 55 years old and have done three rounds, and have gotten fit. Also, Dr. Joel Fuhrman's GOMBS (YouYube, "3 steps") approach to diet is a good start too. I follow Dr. Fuhrman's GOMBS:
G: Greens
O: Onions
M: Mushrooms
B: Beans and Berries
S: Seeds
but I add another G:GARLIC, and another two M's:Meat(lean/not too Much).
Finally, now that I have finished 3 rounds of P90X, I was able to get on my bicycle and start riding 40 miles, 50 miles, 60 miles, 90 miles, ... 100 miles in one day. Once you get to where you can ride a Century, "Boy, you are in shape".
And finally finally, an anti-candida program will help fight the aging process. This not for the faint of heart though.
Andrew Ancel Gray

Great advice -- one thing I'm currently doing is trying not to eat anything after 6:00pm -- on the days when I do achieve this I sleep a lot better plus I never wake up in the middle of the night with an "acid tummy" ... my neighbor said that he lost 30 pounds just doing this but eating as usual in every other way...

My wife found that she has type 2 diabetes, which is unfortunate, but by watching her carb intake, substituting whole carbs for processed carbs, and a good deal of walking, she dropped 40 pounds over the course of a few months. It was like having a wife that is 10 years younger (she is 57). She has more energy and is much happier. One idea is to divide the dinner plate into fourths. One for protein, one for starch, one for a green vegetable, and one for a colored vegetable. Voila - balanced nutrients and reasonable calorie intake, if the plate isn't too big and you don't fill it too many times ;-)
Good luck Max!

"In the meantime, do you have any tips and tricks on how to lose weight (and keep it off) and generally increase one's health and well-being?"
Here are 4 food toxins you should avoid eating:
1. Sugar (especially high-fructose corn syrup)
2. Cereal grains (especially refined flour)
3. Omega-6 industrial seed oils (corn, cottonseed, safflower, soybean, etc.)
4. Processed soy (soy milk, soy protein, soy flour, etc.)
It may be difficult to follow at first, but it gets easier over time and your body will thank you.
For a full description on this, please refer to the following links:
http://chriskresser.com/beyond-paleo-1
http://chriskresser.com/beyond-paleo-2
http://chriskresser.com/beyond-paleo-3
etc...
Good luck and stay healthy :)